Convertible washing machine construction



INVE

NTOR.- 7160715 April 13, 1937.,- G. K. PARSONS 2,076,587

CONVERTIBLE WASHING MACHINE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 9, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @forja BY M WATTisY April 13, 1937. G. K. PARsoNs 2,076,587

CONVERTIBLE WASHING MACHINE CONSTRUCTION Filed' Marh 9', 1935 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNlTE STTES CONVERTIBLE WASHING MACHINE CONSTRUCTION George K. Parsons, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 9,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the construction of convertible machines for household use, and particularly to those of the sort which are adaptable to the performance of various household 5 tasks such as the washing of clothing and dishes and/or implements and articles of food, ironing, mixing, beating and the like.

An important object of the invention comprises the provision of improved foldable supporting means whereby machines and other objects desired to be supported may be movably mounted in a manner enabling very. easy reduction of the space occupied thereby when not in use, andmovement of the same from a folded or collapsed position of non-use to operative position quickly and with very little effort, as well as enabling 'convenient storage of the machine or other mounted object in such a confined space as that available beneath a sink or in a small closet. I also aim to provide in such improved foldable supporting means novel safeguards against movement of the machine in undesired directions, and compelling Ythe movement thereof in the'various directions possible only in desired sequence.

g5 VOther objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved foldable household machine and its support, indicating the manner in which it may be 3,3 supported from beneath a sink and folded therebeneath when not in use;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine in upright position;

Figure 3 is a plan View taken substantially on o the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the supporting means, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the machine assembly, generally designated |00, may be carried by a sub-base, as mi, supported by and rotatable about the axis of a shaft |03, which projects, horizontally when the machine is in its position of use, from one side of the subbase and into the supporting hanger |05, in which 1935, Serial N0. 10,193

it is journaled. The hanger is trunnioned in the Yupwardly projecting arms iil--I'i of a supporting standard of generally U-contour. The standard comprises a base plate portion iii) adapted to be screwed or otherwise secured to the floor, as beneaththe sink H2, While arms IUS-|01 project upwardly and forwardly from the base plate, being preferably of such length as to terminate directly beneath the front edge of the sink when the machine is installed in the preferred manner indicated in Figure 1. At their upper ends the arms carry inwardly projecting stub shafts ||4||5 rotatably .supporting the elongated 'hanger |85, which extends the full distance between the arms lot-itl, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4. The bearing portion Hi8 of the hanger- |05 in which the supporting shaft |93 for the machine is journaled, is preferably v arranged near one end of the hanger and at such distance below the axis of Vthe trunnion bearings ||4| I5 that the machine is held at a convenient height' when elevated to the erected position shown in dot-dash lines in Figure 1, while it may Y project far enough 'beneath the sink when folded to the position shown in iull lines in that view to create no interference with use of the sink. It will be seen that the trunnion supports ifi- I i5, and the shaft |03 bycwhich the machine is directly carried, provide axes perpendicular to each other about which the machine may be swung to enable both laying the machine over on its side by turning it about the axis of shaft |93, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, (to reduce the height) and swinging it about the trunnion axis from the projecting position of use in which it extends forwardly from the sink, to a position r therebeneath, to reduce the front to 4rear dimension of the assembly comprising machine and base and enable storing it conveniently beneath the sink.

A counterbalance spring, as ill, may be provided to balance the weight of the machine when tilted about the axis of shaft |63, such spring being shown in Figure 2 as of simple coil form and acting in tension at one end upon an arm ||8 rigidly secured to and turning with the machine about the axis of shaft |03. The shaft |3 also turns with the machine, being journaled in the hanger portion |98, as previously stated, and such bearing portion 63 of the hanger preferably extends entirely therethrough, so that the shaft |03 may be inserted from and the machine accordingly supported upon either side of Ythe hanger. end in the trunnion bearings, so that complete The hanger is also reversible endV for g `reversal and folding of the machine in the op- Shaft ||4 is rigidly secured in and turns the hanger, being shown held by r'aset'screwf ||6, and projects from the arm |06 into a housing |'carried by the side of such arm. vA lever |2| is secured to the end of the shaft within the housing. Also Within the housing Vand actf axis of such shaft.

ing upon such lever is a counterbalance spring |23 for maintaining the machine in desired positions with respect to the longitudinal trunnion or `hanger axis. Such spring acts in compression upon the lever |2|, tending to throw it to either `of the extreme positions shown in Figure 1 by virtue of the over center movement of the lever with respect to the line of thrust 'ofthe spring. The spring may be retained by'a rod'as |24, articulated tothe lever at its upper extremity and freely slidable at itsv lower extremity, as in bracket |25. i

'I'he machine may be locked against swinging about the axis of shaft |03 `by a pin |21 slidable in the hanger to and from engagement with the sub-base of the machine in a path parallel -to the Upon a portionoff the pin within the hanger are rack teeth (undesignated) providing for driving the pin by means cfa pinion, as |30. The pinion may be turned .to slide i the pin-by meansof the hand lever |35, which,

'a lever |36 connected by a link |31 to an arm when swung in one direction, is arranged to turn |38 attached to shaft |3| upon which the-pinion Y is mounted. A torsion spring |39-acts upon the lever |36 to yieldably hold it'normally'in Vthe-'position in which the pin |21 isprojected into engagement with the sub-base to hold themachine in either of the extreme positions shown, (one in dot-dash lines and the other in dotted Y lines in Figure 1); that is,inV either the vertical or horizontal position.

Movement of themachine and hanger'about the trunnion axis may bexprevented'by a pin |40 Y f fprojectable from one endof the hanger into engagement with a slot as ||1 in a supporting arm as |06. Movement of the pin |40 is similarly'controllable by means of a link |41 connecting the same kto `alever |46, valso actuable bythe hand Y lever |35. A torsion spring |49 also acts upon the lever |46 to urge it in the direction tending to throw the pin |40 into the lockingl position in which it is shown in Figure 4. Lost motionY connection between the hand lever and actuating levers |36-I46 is provided by :the loose Y mounting of the two last mentioned levers upon the handle shaft |4|,`and the driving thereof by means of the clutch |42 Vfast upon such shaft and arranged between and having lost motion .connection provided by teeth loosely interitting with teeth carried by-the driving levers. Retraction oflocking pin is prevented when the rvmachine is in vertical position by means of a detent pin |50 controllable by the shaft |03 and slidable in the hanger into and out of locking engagement. A spring |5| acting upon the detent |50 tends to retract it from locking engageing movementof the machine, to upright position the pin |40 is again locked by pin |50. This Will be seen to forestallany attempt of an inexperienced person to swing the' machine beneath the sink while still in a vertical position with respect to the axis of shaft |03.v In order to prevent turning the machine about the axis of shaft |03whi1e beneath the sink and until'A it has been moved out from under the same, I

may provide for blocking movement of the arml |36 and so of the pin |21, as by means of a blocking element slidable in and projecting vfrom oneend of the hanger into a groove |56 in `which it travels when the machine is swung about the trunnionaxis. One ofsuch grooves isV ofcourse .formed upon the inner` face'of each arm, so that lthe blocking pin mayV be similarly actuated whichever arm it mayface, which of `course `depends upon the positioning of the Y hanger. Groove |56 isy concentric with the trunnion axis, and the pin is held Vretracted and clear of the arm |36 by a spring, thereby allowing free movement `of the arm |36, onlyfwhen the` depth of slot |56 issuflicient. The slot is only deep enough" to free the pin from'blocking engagement with the lever, however, in that area which turned with respect Yto thetrunnion axis so that shaft |03 projects horizontally in the 'proper position in which the machine is intended to be n used.

cated in dot-dash lines in Figure 1,-1eve'r |35'imay Vbe swung to the right as viewed in Figure 2 tor retract pin |21, and so permit laying the machine Y over on its side, but pin V|40 cannot be retractedto permitswinging the machine beneath .the sink until the machine has-been soswung to the hori-` zontal position, after which, however, the pin'l40, beingffreed, may be retractedV and the machine moved back underV the sink about the trunnion axis tothe full line position of Figure 1. In such position pin |55 prevents movement of the handle Ythe pin occupies when the machine has been It will-thus be seen that consideringthefx'nachine to be in the upright position of useindito the right, but pin |40 being free, the machine ,i

may be manually pulled out from beneath the sink at any time, after which, the pin |55 being-freed,

' the machine may b e moved tovertical position.

While it will be apparent `that the illustrated embodiment of my invention herein disclosedis well calculated to adequately fulfill the objects and advantages primariy stated, it is to beunderstood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modiiicationrand change Vwithin the spiritV and scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is z' 1. Supporting means for' household Vdevices and the like comprising in combination withal pair of spaced standard portions,V a support'relement swingable about a substantially horizontal axis in said standard portions, a rockable Vsub support element swingable about an axis transverse to and below the rst for carrying a desired load, and interlocking detent means for preventing swinging of one of said elements untilthe other been moved to a predetermineddegree.

2. Supporting means for household devices and the like comprising in combination with a-pair of spaced standard portions, a hanger element Cil swingable about a substantially horizontal axis in said standard portions, supporting means rockable in said hanger element about an axis below and substantially normal to the rst, and detent means preventing movement of one element when the other is in predetermined position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which said detent means includes a latching element for preventing movement of one element, and

10 means actuable by movement of the other element for controlling operation of said latching element. Y

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which said detent means includes latching members for preventing movement of each element about its 5 axis of support, and means interconnecting one of said latching members and the other element for preventing actuation of a latching member While an element is in predetermined position.

GEORGE K. PARSONS. 

